In the last few weeks, we have seen two high profile unicorns file for initial public offerings. The first out of the gate was Dropbox (Pending:DBX), a storage solution for a world where gigabyte files are the rule rather than the exception, with a filing on February 23. Following close after,

Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now

More often than not, when a company’s dividend starts approaching 10%, it’susually a sign that the market expects the payout to head lower in the very near future. However, for Summit Midstream Partners (NYSE:SMLP), that doesn’t appear to be the case. That’s because the pipeline and processing company can cover its payout with plenty of room to spare. In fact, it could actually resume distribution growth by year-end. While the company does have a large financial hurdle to overcome in the future, it has plenty of time to find a solution other than cutting the distribution.

Drilling down into the numbers

Summit Midstream Partners recently closed the books on a pretty good year all things considered. For the full year, the company reported $291.6 million of adjusted EBITDA, which exceeded the top end of its guidance range. Meanwhile, distributable cash flow was $210.9 million, which covered the company’s distribution with plenty of room to spare, in fact, its coverage ratio was a healthy 1.19 times during the fourth quarter.

Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Reynolds American Inc(RAI)

Advisors’ Opinion:

[By Rich Duprey, Demitrios Kalogeropoulos, and Brian Feroldi]

It remains true that the tobacco industry will continue coming under pressure from anti-smoking activists, politicians, and regulators who seek to stub out cigarettes further by raising taxes on smokes, but companies such as Altria and Reynolds American (NYSE:RAI) are largely able to offset their impact on profits by raising prices. The ability to command such pricing power without an overly large loss of customers obviously speaks to the addictive qualities of smoking but is also an otherwise enviable position to be in.

[By Ben Levisohn]

Just before 1pm today, shares of Reynolds American (RAI) took a sudden nosedive on reports that its merger with British American Tobacco (BTI) had “hit a snag” according to StreetInsider.com. Cowen’s Vivien Azer and team still think a deal gets done:

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Street Insider is reporting that BATS’ acquisition of RAI has “hit a snag,” and that “a potential transaction may be less likely near-term.” We view this source as less credible (vs. a WSJ or CNBC), in particular given the scant level of detail. While the delay in a consummated deal has extended longer than we thought, we still view the deal as likely (85% probability).

Shares of Reynolds American have dropped 1.3% to $55.47 at 2:26 p.m. today, while British American Tobacco has declined 0.2% to $112.71. Shares of Philip Morris International (PM), which could be interested in an acquisition of Altria Group (MO), have fallen 1% to$90.28 after getting cut toNeutral from Buy at BofA Merrill Lynch, while Altria has risen 0.5% to$67.94 after getting upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Merrill.

[By Leo Sun]

With interest rates set to rise this year, many dividend investors are likely worried that their stocks will slip as bond yields become more attractive. While some dividend stocks will inevitably decline, investors can still find some low-risk income plays that have high yields and cheap valuations. Let’s take a look at three such stocks — AT&T (NYSE:T), Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), and Reynolds American (NYSE:RAI).

Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation(RL)

Advisors’ Opinion:

[By Casey Wilson]

Amazon has been a growing pain in the neck for low-price retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) for some time, but even high-end specialty stores like Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) have struggled now that Amazon has crept into their sector.

[By Casey Wilson]

Ralph Lauren Corp. (NYSE: RL) just became the latest company to fall victim to the “Retail Ice Age.”

The 50-year-old American icon announced it shuttered its flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in New York City on Tuesday (April 4). It will also close 50 other retail locations by the end of the fiscal year.

[By Ben Levisohn]

Hanesbrands was just one of many retail companies that got shellacked this week. Under Armour (UAA) tumbled 29% after missing earnings forecasts and cutting its guidance, while Deckers Outdoor (DECK) plunged 21% after its earnings missed the Street consensus, and Ralph Lauren (RL) plummeted 13% after its CEO stepped down.

[By Johanna Bennett]

Times are tough for Ralph Lauren (RL). Profit and sales are fallingat theiconic clothingcompany, and investors who bet on a turnaround havelost their shirts on the stock. Adding to its troubles,CEO StefanLarsson is departingfollowing a creative clash with the companys namesake and founder.

Pessimism, meanwhile, appears to be on the rise.

According to a report by the financial analytics company S3 Partners, short interest in Ralph Lauren has risen since the start of the year, hitting historical levels. And while that short position is expected to keep expanding, bearish sentiments could turn on a dime.

Ihor Dusaniwsky at S3 Partners writes:

RL short interest levels, already at historical highs today, should continue to grow if the recent trend continues, but having made almost 23% in 2016 and 14% in 2017, short sellers may be quick to cover their positions and lock in profits if RLs stock price turns against them.

Short interest in Ralph Lauren fell in 2016 as the stock price fella nd shorts covered positions, netting a return of 22.6%. So far this year, however, the short position as increased $226 million, or 38% to $815 million as of this morning, according to the S3 report.

Its a profitable day for those short sellers. Todays 11% decline Ralph Laurens stock price on an $815 million short position has added $90 million to the short sellers collective bottom line.

Ralph Lauren is down 11.5% in recent market actions to $77.26 a after earlier falling as low as $76.86 a share. Thats the lowest price for the stock since 2010.

[By WWW.THESTREET.COM]

The sidewalks outside stores like Armani, Dolce & Gabanna, Ralph Lauren (RL) , Gap (GPS) , Prada, Abercrombie & Fitch (AF) , Microsoft (MSFT) and Harry Winston are now lined with metal barricades. The strip commands some of the highest retail rents in the world, with the average annual rent being $3500 per square foot.

That’s why Cramer said he’ll be listening for news coming from Celgene (CEL) , Amgen (AMGN) , Allergan (AGN) , an Action Alerts PLUS holding, and Regenron (REGN) , all of which are set to present. Of the four, Cramer said he’s sticking with Allergan and Amgen.

Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Microchip Technology Incorporated(MCHP)

Today’s slaughter comes two days after Microchip Technology narrowed its third-quarter guidance. Stifel’s Kevin Cassidy and team had the details:

Microchip upwardly revised its December ending quarter…Non-GAAP EPS guidance was updated to $0.87 – $0.94 compared to $0.85 – $0.95 previously…The According to management, the upside is coming from better than expected integration of recent acquisitions. Management pointed out that significant gross margin improvements may be recognized as the inventory of higher cost products from the now closed Micrel fab is depleted. We have revised our revenue and non-GAAP earnings estimates and increased our 12-month target price to $70.

Microchip Technology’s market capitalization fell to $13.2 billion from $14.3 billion yesterday. It report net income of $324 million on sales of $2.2 billion in fiscal 2016.

Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings(LH)

Advisors’ Opinion:

[By Monica Gerson]

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) is estimated to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion.

Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE: ROP) is projected to report its quarterly earnings at $1.46 per share on revenue of $895.87 million.

[By Monica Gerson]

Analysts expect Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (NYSE: LH) to report its quarterly earnings at $1.96 per share on revenue of $2.19 billion. Laboratory Corp shares rose 0.64 percent to close at $121.77 on Friday.

Best Dividend Stocks To Invest In Right Now: United Parcel Service Inc.(UPS)

Advisors’ Opinion:

[By WWW.THESTREET.COM]

One part of the outline by the Trump administration on Wednesday would roughly double the standard deduction that Americans can use to reduce their taxable income. For married couples that would move from $12,600 to $24,000. This could cause people not to itemize their tax returns and rather opt for the standard deduction. In turn, the process would be simplified as well as potentially saving taxpayers thousands of dollars each year. That’s money that could be spent on a few more cases of PepsiCo’s beverages or a new wardrobe from Macy’s (M) A delivery company such as UPS (UPS) could see orders tick higher as more confident consumers get to spending.

[By Lee Samaha]

The perennial question facing investors in the package delivery industry: Should you chooseFedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) or United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) stock? Or even buy both — or avoid both? Let’s take a look at the relative merits of each company and speculate on which stock is the better buy.

[By Todd Campbell, Demitrios Kalogeropoulos, and Reuben Gregg Brewer]

In the case of these three stocks, however, it may be worth taking a gamble. Our contributors think catalysts at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN), Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS-B), and United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) can get them back to their winning ways. Read on to find out if these down-and-out stocks are right for your portfolio.

[By Paul Ausick]

The collars on the shirts and blouses of some United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) changed from white to blue last week as the company sent some of its office staff out to the company’s warehouses to help sort, load, or deliver the flood of holiday packages.

[By Brian Stoffel]

UPS (NYSE:UPS) has long been a proxy for the overall economy. When the economy is strong and consumers are feeling flush, they buy and sell more goods — and no one delivers more of those goods than UPS.

[By Demitrios Kalogeropoulos]

Meanwhile, earnings season produced large price swings in a few stocks individual stocks, including Under Armour (NYSE:UA) (NYSE:UAA) and UPS (NYSE:UPS).

Last week, Skechers (SKX) presented at UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference, giving interesting updates on the status of their business and their expectations for the future. I think its worth refreshing our view of the stock and its attractiveness.

In the last few weeks, we have seen two high profile unicorns file for initial public offerings. The first out of the gate was Dropbox (Pending:DBX), a storage solution for a world where gigabyte files are the rule rather than the exception, with a filing on February 23. Following close after,

Pico Far East Holdings (OTC:PCOFF) [HKG:752], Asia's largest exhibition services provider, trades at an ex-net cash trailing P/E of just 10 times. This represents attractive valuations for a market leader which has generated 15-20% ROEs in the past decade and also has been profitable and free c

Have you ever "unplugged" from your cell phone? If you have, you've likely experienced the phenomenon of phantom vibrations -- the perception that your phone is ringing or vibrating when in fact it's not. (In the 1990s, people reported incidences of "phantom pager syndrome.")